


Scrub-A-Dub

by iselsis



Category: Batman (Comics), Batman - All Media Types
Genre: Aftermath of Accidental Baby Acquisition, Bathing/Washing, Bruce Wayne is a Good Parent, Bubble Bath, Court of Owls, Cuddling & Snuggling, Dick Grayson Gets a Hug, Dick Grayson Needs a Hug, Dick Grayson is a Talon, Gen, Hair Pets, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Not of Dick, Platonic Bath, Platonic Cuddling, Platonic Hair Washing, Young Dick Grayson
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-03
Updated: 2021-02-03
Packaged: 2021-03-14 16:09:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,935
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29173941
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/iselsis/pseuds/iselsis
Summary: Talon's new master has put him in water, and Talon does not knowwhy. This new master, though...Talon thinks he might like this new master.
Relationships: Dick Grayson & Bruce Wayne
Comments: 107
Kudos: 629
Collections: impravidus's favorite fics





	Scrub-A-Dub

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Eccentric_Wolf](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Eccentric_Wolf/gifts).



> For Ex, who likes platonic hair washing. This was _meant_ to be an espresso, but I played with it for a couple days, and it got really long.
> 
> Dick is ~10

Talon sat still—he was very good at sitting still, and he must be obedient for his new master—even though he did not understand what his new master was doing.

The water Master had put him in was warm, but not so hot that Talon thought he was being punished, and there was so much…what was it called?

Talon glanced very subtly at Master, but Master was not looking at him for a rare moment, too busy speaking into the communicator to notice Talon, so Talon scooped some of the white substance into his hands and brought it close to his face to investigate.

The substance was…strange. It seemed to be made of a thousand tiny balls, all clear and sticking together and floating on the surface of the water. When he tried to touch the balls, though, they broke.

Talon snapped his head around to Master and saw the man watching him now. He was still talking into the communicator, but he was looking at Talon. When Master stopped talking for a moment, he smiled at Talon.

Talon forced himself not to flinch, but…Master…Master’s smile was not cruel. Talon did not know if it was a good sign or a bad sign. Talon knew how to take cruelty, but he did not know how to take the…tightness…on the face of the Master who had stolen him from his old masters.

It must have been a test—to strip Talon bare of any weapons or protection and force him to sit as still as he could with the delicate white froth all around him to prove if he moved an inch. It was a test, and he had failed.

Master put the communicator into his pocket, and Talon bit the inside of his lip hard enough that it bled to keep from pulling away from Master and his giant fists. Master knelt down just beside Talon outside the tub, and Talon bit _harder_ , but outwardly dipped his chin in submission.

Master’s tight smile softened, so he must have approved of Talon’s submission. That was good, Talon thought in relief. Perhaps Master would not punish him severely.

Master reached out slowly and lay his hand on top of Talon’s, breaking most of the clear balls. Talon gasped. Was…did Master not care about them? If he did not care, then he would not beat Talon, right? Or was he showing Talon just how easily _he_ could be crushed by his Master’s hand?

“You like the bubbles?” Master asked, his voice all rumbly and deep.

He did…he did not sound mad.

Talon hesitated, then scooped up more of the white clear balls and held them up to Master.

Master tapped his finger to the top of Talon’s pile, breaking more of the balls with a series of small crackles. Master smiled again, happy and not cruel or upset. Talon hesitated, because he was not meant to show any emotion, but…neither was his _Master_. Perhaps this master was different and let Talon smile like he thought he might have once, before he became a talon.

“Bubbles,” Master said, and the word and relief was too much to take.

Talon smiled, just a little. He tried to hide it, but Master clearly saw. Talon saw his eyes widen from the corner of his eye, and then he was reaching forward and took Talon’s chin in his hand. Talon wanted to bite his cheek, but Master would feel his jaw move, and he would be punished for not being able to control himself. Instead, he let his terror hold him very, very still, and tried to be good.

“Hey,” Master said gently. “You have a very pretty smile. Can I see it again?”

Talon blinked at Master for a moment before he realized what Master was saying.

Was Master testing him? To see if he was obedient to Master, though, or to see if he’d be really good and not do what he was not supposed to? But he was supposed to obey his _master_ , so—

His brow got all knit, and his mouth moved _down_ , which was all wrong, and then Master looked upset too, and Talon was going to be in trouble because he just didn’t understand!

Master let go of Talon’s face, and Talon braced himself for a blow as best he could without letting Master see.

The blow came lightly as a hand resting on top of his head, hard enough to jostle him, but not enough to hurt. Master rubbed the hand, but he just pushed Talon’s matted hair around, so he didn’t understand.

Master stepped away from Talon. Talon thought he was going to leave and have Talon sit in the water _forever,_ but he stopped, right behind Talon.

The back of his neck _burned_ with all his instincts never to let an enemy get behind him, but it wasn’t an _enemy_ , even though his masters had always hurt so much more than his enemies ever could.

Master placed his fingers loosely on the back of Talon’s neck, and Talon instantly froze. Master just pinched lightly, without any real pressure, letting his fingers slide along the wet back of Talon’s neck. It…it would have felt nice, perhaps, if he were not waiting for his punishment.

Master picked up a cup from the side of the tub and dunked it into the water, filling it up. Did Talon have to drink the water? He would, but he did not think it would taste very good.

Luckily, Master did not force Talon to drink the water. Instead, he laid a hand on Talon’s forehead and tilted it back before slowly dousing Talon’s hair with cooling water from the cup.

The water trickled down, rolling across the span of Master's hand and running behind his ears and down his neck.

Master did it twice more before he let go of Talon and picked up one of the colorful bottles. He squeezed some of the thick liquid inside onto his hands and rubbed it between them before placing them on his head.

Talon breathed jerkily, and Master must have noticed immediately noticed, because he stopped and rubbed gently but insistently at Talon’s shoulder. “You’re alright…chum. You’re alright, chum. I won’t hurt you.”

Master placed his fingers against Talon’s scalp and dragged them back and forth again and again and again. It felt so good, soothing an itch he didn’t even know he felt. Was he being rewarded instead of punished? But he’d broken the bubbles! And he’d let Master know he was upset!

Master kept rubbing at Talon’s hair, worrying it all the way to the ends before picking up the cup and pouring more and more water from the tub over Talon’s head. Talon held his head tipped back just how Master seemed to want it, but Master must have not trusted him not to move, because he kept his hand flush against Talon’s forehead. Talon was a little sad, but Master would know very soon that he could trust Talon.

Master lowered his hand, and Talon’s heart lit up. Had Master decided that he could trust Talon?! Talon made a pleased chirrup before he could think better. He quickly schooled his features, but Master’s voice still sounded soft and pleasant. “You don’t like shampoo, do you?”

Master reached past Talon with one hand, but the other hand gave Talon’s shoulder a small squeeze.

Talon tensed and slumped. Master still did not trust him. _Stay still,_ the hand was saying. It didn’t _feel_ like a punishment. It felt… Talon glanced very quickly at Master with just his eyes, quick enough that hopefully he wouldn’t see and hit Talon for moving, but Master did not sound angry, and he did not _look_ angry either.

Perhaps…perhaps Master was forgiving him this time. Or perhaps this master did not _care_ that Talon had broken the bubbles and smiled.

Master grabbed another bottle and leaned back, giving another small squeeze to Talon’s shoulder. Talon hesitantly relaxed when Master opened another bottle instead of hurting Talon. When he rubbed it all over Talon’s hair, it felt thick, like blood, but it smelled much nicer than blood, like chemicals-and-flowers but mostly flowers.

Master did not immediately rinse out Talon’s hair that time. Instead, he used his fingers to tug at the tangles in Talon’s hair. Talon didn’t stop him even when the tugs hurt, but after a minute or two, Master had the worst of them out, and he could rake his hands through Talon’s slimy hair with ease.

Talon closed his eyes as Master’s fingers glided over his skin and his heavy palm smoothed down the hair in their wake. Even if it had hurt at first, what Master was doing felt too good to be a punishment.

After a long, pleasant minute, Master set one of his hands on Talon’s shoulder again. “You’re doing so well, chum. Let’s put your head under the—you know what, never mind. Don’t want to freak you out, do I?”

Talon did not understand what Master meant by that, but he knew what _doing so well_ meant, and he felt a small puff of pride at being good for his master. Master either did not care what Talon had done, or he was forgiving him this time, but Talon would _prove_ to Master that he was good enough for soft and gentle touches again.

Master picked up the cup and filled it with the cloudy water under the bubbles, then placed his hand over Talon’s forehead again, tipping his head back to where he wanted it, and then leaving his hand there _again_.

Talon’s eyes stung. Master still did not trust him.

Talon raised his hands to Master’s and tugged at it cautiously, enough to let Master know that he _would_ be so good and obedient, but not enough to pull Master’s hand away if he had decided that Talon was _not_ so good and obedient.

“I’m not going to hurt you, chum,” Master said. His voice was calm and gentle, but he did not move his hand. “I’m just trying to keep the soap out of your eyes.”

A single tear slipped from Talon’s eye. He did not draw attention to it by wiping it away, instead hoping that it would be dry before Master turned him around and saw it. Master did not think Talon was a good boy, and _bad boys_ got hurt again and again and again.

Master poured the water over Talon’s head, then filled the cup and poured it over Talon’s head again. He did it once more before he placed the cup on the side of the tub and slowly slipped his hands under Talon’s arms. Talon let Master lift him out of the water because he _was_ going to behave.

Master set Talon on his feet on the furry rug beside the tub that swallowed his feet, and suddenly Talon realized what his punishment was. He was so _cold._

But it _still_ wasn’t a punishment, because Master picked up a fuzzy white blanket from a shelf and rubbed Talon’s hair with it before wrapping it around Talon’s shoulders.

Master _knelt_ in front of Talon, and Talon blinked at him. _Masters_ weren’t supposed to kneel, _Talons_ were supposed to kneel.

“I’m going to pick you up,” Master warned.

Talon kept his muscles rigid to keep from trembling as Master swept him off his feet and into his arms like Talon was nothing more than the bubbles from the bath. Master’s arms were so thick and powerful, and his chest hard. He could make Talon hurt so much, so many times as he healed and healed. He would be good, though! He really hadn't meant to hurt the bubbles!

Master carried Talon out of the small room with the tub and out into the room they’d come through before. Master set Talon on the soft bed with a firm, “ _Stay_ ,” that Talon would never dream of disobeying, then Master stepped back from Talon, keeping a close eye on him for a second, but _Talon was being good_.

A bit of tension in Master’s shoulders eased, and he turned around and walked away from Talon toward a set of drawers. He still looked back at Talon, but only once.

Master opened one of the drawers and pulled out something made of what looked like dark fabric, but Talon could not tell.

Master turned around once he had—yes, it definitely was fabric—and walked back to Talon.

Talon swallowed hard and watched Master carefully.

He was sitting on a bed. He did not have clothes. He had killed men with naked little boys and girls in their beds. Talon was not a little boy, but those little boys had always looked so sad and scared, and one of the little girls when Talon first started had even cried and hugged Talon to say thank you. Talon had let her hold him because no one else had touched him so softly for so long.

He did not want Master to do what those men did. If Master did…

If Master did, Talon would be a good boy, but he would be scared and sad and not like his new master.

Master reached forward with one hand and pushed Talon’s covering away from his shoulder. It brushed down Talon’s back like death. Master was going to punish him after all, but he was going to make it hurt even more than Talon could have imagined.

Master pulled his hand back and adjusted the fabric in his hands before leaning forward and pulling it over Talon’s head. Talon’s breath stuttered, and before he could recover, his master had taken one of Talon’s hands and fed it through the arm hole.

It was a shirt. Master was giving him a shirt.

Relief hit him so hard that his shoulders slumped before he could stop them. Master wasn’t going to hurt Talon—at least not like that, at least not yet—and he even bothered to clothe Talon _for_ him. The shirt must have been Master’s too, because it smelled like him and it was so big that Talon could have curled up his whole body inside very easily.

Talon thought that he would look very funny if he did that, and he smiled just a little bit before he caught himself.

Too late. Master had seen.

“What’s so funny?” Master asked, his tone light but his words condemning.

Talon quickly put his other arm through the empty sleeve so that Master wouldn’t have to waste his time, but his heart was pounding. Master had already forgiven him _once,_ but _twice…_

Master was smiling at Talon. It was _still_ not a mean smile. It was a _nice_ smile, and nice smiles weren’t allowed or you got hit.

“I like your smile,” Master told him, inching his hand forward until it brushed against Talon’s cheek. “Will you smile for me, chum?”

Talon hesitated, but Master had _told_ him to do it, so surely it was fine…right?

Talon very cautiously lifted the corner of his lips, just a little at a time…but Master still did not hit him. He did not get mad at Talon. Master smiled wider. Talon lit up with a happy grin, and Master _still_ did not hit him!

Master picked Talon up again and carried him only a short distance before he pushed back the blankets and set Talon in the space on the bed that he’d cleared, then Master let go and took the white fluffy thing he’d used to dry Talon to a basket in the corner of the room.

Master came back to Talon and sat down on the bed beside him.

He would not…Master was not going to hurt Talon like those bad men had, was he?

Master put his hands on Talon and eased him backwards so that he was lying down, then Master laid down right next to him.

“We’ll get you your own clothes tomorrow. And some toys. Soft toys. Your own room…we’ll wait on that, okay?” Master said. “And then we’ll see if we can figure out who you are, how about that, chum?”

Talon breathed out a small sigh of relief. He did not understand all of what Master had said, but he had understood the bit about the clothes, which would be nice and hopefully small like Talon, and that Talon would be allowed to sleep on his own when Master trusted him. Talon would be a good boy, then, and sleep by himself very soon.

Master wrapped an arm underneath and around Talon’s shoulders, and Talon…didn’t stiffen that time. He kept himself deliberately slack, because this master had done _nothing_ Talon had expected and Talon wanted to know what he would do if Talon did not resist.

What Master did was pull Talon up against his chest so that Talon’s head was lain on Master’s meaty shoulder.

Master was so warm, and he had not punished Talon at all, even when Talon had been bad. His touches did not feel bad, they felt warm and fluffy…like the water and the bubbles, but in Talon’s heart.

Talon had had other masters before the ones his new master had taken him from. He did not remember them much, but…he remembered bright colors and warm smiles and soft hugs just like the one he was wrapped up in.

Master would give Talon his own room if he behaved…but maybe Talon should not behave after all.

**Author's Note:**

> I _kept_ mixing up Tal _on_ and Jas _on_ , and also _T_ alon with _T_ im. So. Many. Times.


End file.
